Accounts encountered during the trip repeatedly put the Japan Coast Guard in active maritime engagements, including encounters involving North Koreans. Clarke was struck by the frequency of these operations and described the Coast Guard as Japan's practical combat arm. His comparison emphasized experience of actual confrontations, although the claim about its exceptional postwar record was an impression rather than a documented ranking.
Notable Point · 2:24:36-2:25:16
Why Japan's Coast Guard stood out for operational experience
Repeated accounts of Coast Guard engagements, including encounters involving North Koreans, drew attention to its operational experience.